Point Defiance West Wall

The West Wall at Point Defiance is a sheer clay face that runs close to shore. Clams have bored holes into nearly the whole surface of the current-swept face, and these give shelter to nudibranchs, scallops and sculpins, while sea stars cling to the surface and schools of perch and rockfish move along the crevices. Invertebrate growth is limited by the clay and the strong current, but the scale of the wall makes up for it. The site is relatively sheltered from incoming tides and can be dived during a low to moderate flood. Sources rate it advanced because of the depth, the sudden drop and likely current, and anchoring needs care.